I was at a show the other night and spent some time considering a bit of technology that I’m anxious to watch evolve: Continuous Video Capture. Whenever I’m at a concert that I’m enjoying, I find myself wanting to snap a video of it so that I can relive that moment in the future. Whipping out your camera can sometimes spoil the first version of the moment as you fumble for the right button, etc. Without reinforcement, the brain spends less and less effort trying to remember events that are not actively recalled from time to time.

Would this technology be useful and desirable? Earlier today my son was playing peek-a-boo with my wife and I. It was the sort of moment that makes life worth living. I had a camera nearby. What to do? I enjoyed the moment for a very long time, but finally caved and reached for the camera. Of course he stopped as soon as I turned it on. Is that moment gone forever? No. I will remember it, but it will fade. Was it worth grabbing the camera for?

What if you had a camera technology that was so small and efficient that you were effectively
outsourcing your best memories? It’s not hard to imagine a time when we are using more than just our iPhone cameras and film grade DSLR to shoot video to supplement our memories. Whether it’s something like the technology in Strange Days or miniaturized cameras implanted onto your head something is coming. Heck, it may become fashionable like animatronic pink fuzzy bunny ears. I was at a different show recently where the venue announced that anyone taking photo or video would be kicked out. Not an easy proposition in another 10 years.

The show was by James Farm (led by saxophonist Joshua Redmen) and it was unlike any jazz concert I have seen or heard. They claim to be influenced by electronica and rock, and they arrange songs structured in a way that will be familiar to fans of those genre. Worth checking out. http://www.myspace.com/jamesfarmband